Hailey, ID……On Wednesday, July 2 the first United Express flight from Denver to Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) will touch down at 8:40 pm and the community is invited to a special celebration to commemorate this historic inaugural event.

The Friedman Memorial Airport Authority, along with its partners who made this service possible - Fly Sun Valley Alliance, Sun Valley Resort and United Airlines - is planning a welcome celebration for the non-stop flight from Denver (DEN) that will include a “water arch”, cake and beverages, music, welcome gift bags for arriving passengers and a special ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“This new nonstop flight between Denver and Sun Valley is another exciting part of our effort to enhance air service for our community”, said Friedman Memorial Airport Authority Chairman Ron Fairfax. “We expect this new service will open up greater opportunities for both visitors and local residents, and are proud to be working collectively to ensure the success of our rapidly expanding air service here”, he added.

The United Express flights will be operated by SkyWest Airlines using CRJ-700 regional jet aircraft with 70 seats; six in United First, 16 in United Economy Plus and 48 in United Economy.

The new service between Sun Valley and United’s Denver hub, which has strong domestic and international connections, will run from July 2 through September 23 for the 2014 summer season. Plans for continuing the new flight during the winter season are currently in process.

The flight schedule for summer 2014 season will be:

Departs DEN 6:52 pm - arrives SUN 8:40 pm

Departs SUN 7:34 am - arrives DEN 9:15 am

The United Express nonstop San Francisco (SFO) flights to Sun Valley will also operate for the first time in summer, from July 2 through September 23.

Passengers on the new United Express Denver and San Francisco flights to Sun Valley will also receive special benefits from the Sun Valley Resort. For the upcoming summer season passengers who present their DEN-SUN or SFO-SUN boarding pass to the Sun Valley ticket window can exchange their Boarding Pass for a free gondola ride, putting on the 18-hole Sawtooth Putting Course and a free bucket of range balls.